ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Tonotopy

Tonotopy is a way of describing how our ears hear sounds. Different parts of the ear can sense different frequencies, or pitches, of sound. So when a sound travels through the ear, each area of the ear “hears” a different pitch. This is called tonotopy, because it creates a map of sound inside the ear. This map helps us to hear different sounds clearly and make sense of what we’re hearing.
Related topics others have asked about: